1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to emission-free flying, to an aircraft with an emission-free drive, and to a method for driving an aircraft.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Aircraft, e.g., airplanes, have a drive device, e.g., one or more propellers, for the forward movement of the aircraft. The drive takes place by an internal combustion engine. Moreover, turbines can also be used as a drive device, which is likewise based on the combustion of fuel. Due to the generally acknowledged topic of global warming, however, consideration is increasingly being given to operating an airplane emission-free as far as possible, or at least with a reduced CO2 discharge. With the use of electric motors, however, batteries necessary for operating an emission-free airplane are not yet available according to the known prior art. However, there are small flight demonstrators, such as, e.g., the electric flying Cri-Cri from EADS, which have demonstrated the feasibility in principle of electric flight with small airplanes. Furthermore, there are solar airplanes, such as the Solarimpuls, which also render a night flight possible by converting solar energy into electric current by solar cells during the day and storing it in batteries, which can then drive an electric motor at night. However, the solar cells are associated with high costs.
There is therefore a need for aircraft with the lightest possible drive with a reduced CO2 discharge based on the operation.